Love for cooking, respect for the changing seasons and tendency to use the best ingredients dates back to his childhood in Jeseníky mountains, in the garden and kitchen of his grandparents. His grandfather introduced him secrets of foraging, farming, harvesting and explained importance of seasonality. His grandmother, whom he often helped cooking taught him, how to work with ingredients and to use them without wastage, with respect for farmers and sustainability. Thanks to that Jan always tries to find the best available produce on the market and emphasizes the choice of both ingredients and suppliers.
I was given a chance to work with world leading culinary minds and gain extensive knowledge and skills whilst working in their teams. Now I am transforming all my experience into my own unique and sophisticated approach to cooking.
I choose only the best from ´haute cuisine´, modern trends and also from non-European cuisine, in order to elevate quality of every dish to create concert for all senses.
I give a great importance to harmonical composition, which considers not only taste, smell and appearance, but also way the dish is being eaten. I would like to introduce logically designed dish to my customers so they can enjoy even the most delicate taste nuances.
Jan Knedla
JAN´s INSPIRATION
Jan started gathering his experience in the world of high gastronomy relatively early. His journey began in Scotland, Glasgow at the Hilton Hotel where he was introduced to a commercial cookery for the first time. Jan returned to Czechia two years later to join restaurant Allegro Michelin at The Four Seasons Hotel, where he spent 2 years working for an executive chef Andrea Accordi.
- Following his Italian cuisine experience Jan spent a summer season in Ravello, Italy, where he worked at the Rossellinis Michelin restaurant at former Palazzo Sasso under the direction of Pinno Lavarra
- Jan’s next steps led him in the London restaurant L'Atelier Michelin, led by the world’s most famous chef Joël Robuchon
- Andrea Accordi once again prepared another big challenge for him, this time in the newly opened Percorso restaurant at Four Seasons in St. Petersburg, where he spent working 3 years as a sous chef
- His philosophy was greatly influenced during working in one of the best restaurants in the world Amber Michelin, The Landmark Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, where he cooked again as a sous chef alongside executive chef Richard Ekkebus
- One of the Jan’s greatest achievements is co-founding Birch restaurant in St. Petersburg, which still remains one of the best restaurants in Russia
- In 2019 he could not resist the call of home and shortly after his return a Prague five-starred hotel Carlo IV offered Jan an executive chef position and gave him opportunity to introduce new fine dining concept to the Prague. However, Covid-19 pandemic interfered with his successful career when the hotels and restaurants closed for many months
In this, for everyone challenging time, he got an offer to participate in an audition for the chef de cuisine at the newly built Chateau Papillon Resort Hotel & Spa.
Jan is becoming a chef de cuisine of the restaurant Papilio, where he together with you begins to write his new life chapter.